Metal Gear Solid

An unprecedented cinematic epic with great visuals and a brilliant soundtrack. In this sense the game stunned back then and still stuns today thanks to superb presentation and cutscene direction.

Juxtaposed with Metal Gear Solid's ageing gameplay, though, the overall package takes a hit and is held back from greatness. Aiming is awkward, often requiring that you spray-and-pray entire clips at enemies just off-screen, and movement has a general clunkiness to it, making the couple of hand-to-hand boss fights in the game more frustrating than perhaps was intended. Worse, a handful of significant pacing issues take a sledgehammer to the storytelling's flow and sense of tension: namely, having to backtrack multiple times in critical moments.

Despite its flaws, Metal Gear Solid is an enjoyable look at the series' modern history and remains an impressive example of ambitious elevation in video game storytelling, nearly a quarter-century on.